Bloomberg: At least 100 Russians died in Syria because of a retaliatory strike by the United States. VIDEO

US-led coalition February 7 struck on pro-government formations in Syria, which killed dozens of Russian contract soldiers.

Фото: Depositphotos

This is reported by the publication Bloomberg with reference to one American official and three Russians familiar with the situation.

According to two Russian sources, more than two hundred contract soldiers, most of whom are Russians fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad, died as a result of an unsuccessful attack on a base held by the United States and Kurdish troops in the oil-rich Deir-Ezor region.

A US official said that about 100 people died, 200-300 were injured, but could not tell how many Russians were among them.

Infographics: Bloomberg

At the same time, the Russian military declared that they had nothing to do with the attack on the base, and the United States did not dispute this allegation. US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis called the situation “confusing,” but did not go into details of such a definition.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, declined to comment on reports of Russian victims of the attack, saying that the Kremlin only tracks information about the country's armed forces. February 12 Putin talked to US President Donald Trump over the phone, but military actions in Syria, he said, were not discussed.

“This is a big scandal and the cause of an acute international crisis. But Russia will pretend that nothing happened,” said former Russian diplomat Vladimir Frolov.

Putin managed to calm the situation in Syria a little, forcing the United States to abandon the idea of ​​achieving the immediate departure from the post of President Bashar al-Assad. At the moment, it was possible to liberate a significant part of Syria, which was previously under the control of the Islamic State terrorist organization. However, the war in the country leads several disparate groups that oppose each other, which greatly complicates the conflict.

Artillery, tanks

The offensive that led to the US retaliation began about 8 kilometers east of the agreed deconfliction line on the Euphrates River on the evening of February 7 when pro-Assad forces shelled the base and began moving towards it, "supported by artillery, tanks, several missile systems and mortars,” is how American Colonel Thomas F. Vail described the attack.

American military advisers and representatives of the Syrian democratic forces fighting against Assad were located at the base, they decided to respond to the attack with air and artillery fire.

According to representatives of the United States, the US military notified the Russian side in advance of plans to strike at the area where pro-government forces were stationed.

“Representatives of the coalition maintained contact with the Russian authorities before, during and after the attack of the forces supporting the regime. The Russian side has assured the coalition that it will not clash with nearby coalition forces, ”the US military said.

It is not clear who pays Russian mercenaries in Syria (Russia directly, Syria, Iran or third parties). According to Russian media reports, representatives of the Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner are fighting in this Middle Eastern country. This organization was allegedly hired by Assad or his allies to protect Syrian energy assets in exchange for oil concessions.

“Nobody wants to start a world war because of a volunteer or a mercenary who was not sent by the state and was killed by the Americans,” Vitaly Naumkin, a senior adviser to the Russian government on Syria, said in an interview.

Last month, Russia signed an agreement with the Assad government to help rebuild the country's electricity grid. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Russian companies are interested in contracts with Syrian companies to help repair damaged oil pipelines and wells in this country.

"Illegal Presence"

In a statement after the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry did not mention Russian mercenaries, but noted that 25 "Syrian" militants were injured. The ministry accused the United States of using its “illegal presence” in Syria as an excuse to “seize the economic assets” of the country.

Assad's government in Damascus called the US military operations in Syria "Barbaric" and "war crime".

According to one of the commanders of mercenaries, the death toll as a result of unofficial clashes is already five times the official loss of Russia in Syria. And it is constantly growing, in the military hospitals of Moscow and St. Petersburg there are dozens of soldiers from the units of mercenaries fighting in Syria.

Most of those killed and wounded in Syria had Russian or Ukrainian citizenship, many of them were conflict veterans in the east.

Dead Russians

Portal Conflict Intelligence Team managed to establish the names of some Russians killed in Syria 7 February.

"Anonymous researchers Twitter reported the death of Alexei Ladygin from Ryazan, as well as Stanislav Matveyev and Igor Kosoturov from Asbest. Ladygin and Kosoturov previously fought in Eastern Ukraine. ”

Twitter screenshot

Twitter screenshot

Russian Baltic Cossack organization reported that one of its members, Vladimir Loginov from Kaliningrad, was killed in Syria. According to Loginov’s social network profile, before he joined Wagner, he was a Cossack activist.

“Like pigs were sent to slaughter”: the wife of a Ural fighter was informed of his death in Syria

Edition Znak.com managed to talk with the wife of one of the residents of the Sverdlovsk region of Russia, who died during the “Syrian mission”.

About the death of 38-year-old Stanislav Matveyev from Asbest wrote the portal Conflict Intelligence Team, which found a record of the death of a man in the Twitter microblog, his wife Elena Matveyeva told how she learned about what had happened.

Twitter screenshot

Relatives mourning news reached 9 February from fellow Kosoturov and Matveyev in eastern Ukraine. Both of them in the 2015 – 2016 fought in the Donbas, where they learned about the existence of the PMC “Wagner”.

The last few days Elena Matveyeva is at home, constantly taking sedatives. A woman can not believe in the death of her husband, with whom they lived 13 years, and therefore continues to hope for his return. Children also try not to say anything, so as not to injure them.

“Our chieftain from Asbest called me. First I asked how long it had been since we had contacted Stas. I replied that there was no communication for the third day. And the girls, whose husbands were there, didn’t know anything either. Literally a minute later the ataman calls back and says: “Stas and Igor are no more.” I was in the store at that moment, in Wright's. I dropped the phone from my hands, and now it lies broken. I was walking home on automatic and almost got hit by a car,” the woman said about how she was informed about her husband’s death.

According to her, she was not informed about the circumstances of Stas death.

“In the evening I called the chieftain again. He asked - don’t fuss, saying that nothing is really known yet. I began to recognize them by their bodies. I asked them to order a priest and sing like a human being when they were delivered. The chieftain then said that they should be delivered on Tuesday (February 13) and make an official call from Rostov. Whether this is true or not, I don’t know. The Cossacks still have all the information from Donbass (crying). I don’t know how they have everything connected there. I’m still trying not to believe in all this, I’m not preparing for the funeral,” the woman admitted.

“They are just like dogs shot there, like experimental rats,” says Matveyeva.

The woman showed the video on her smartphone as if the very last battle of the 5 of the company in which Stas served. The reliability of the video is in doubt, the picture strongly resembles a video game.

She also has an audio file saved on her phone - a male voice comments on what happened: “Hello. What they show in Syria... In short, this is the time... (they defeated) us. In short, in one company there are 200 two-hundredths, in another there are 10 more. I don’t know about the third, but they were very disheveled. They beat the Pindos. First they covered it with art. Then they raised four turntables and launched them into the carousel, ... (they shot) from large-caliber ones. Ours had nothing at all except machine guns, not to mention MANPADS. They created hell. The “Pindos” knew specifically that it was us, the Russians, who were coming. Our people were going to squeeze out the plant, but they were sitting at this plant. In short, we... received very hard blows. Our guys are now sitting at the base and drinking. There are many missing people. This is... (everything is bad), in short. Another humiliation. No one takes us into account, as they did with the devils. I think ours, our government, will now turn on the rear, and no one will make any answer for it.”

Photos sent by Matveyev from Syria
Photo: Znak.com

- When Stas went to Syria, did you know about it?

- He warned me. After Donbass, he was about a year at home. Arrived in July 2016 of the year. A year later, on September 27, 2017, he left - they already got on the train with the boys from Kedrovoy. And now nobody really communicates with us, no one says if this is true or not. On the head as shoved away - and silence now.

- Did you say from Cedar?

- Nine people from Asbest and from Cedar went a lot. I know nothing more.

- Under what conditions did your husband go to Syria, how much did they promise him to pay?

- He did not tell me anything. He was so keen on me that he never initiated such things. The boys were buried from the Donbass, and at the very least I always found out.

- And with whom he was in contact?

- With Igor Kosoturov, this is Commander Stas. They are relatives distant. Stas has a cousin, and Igor was her husband before. And so they are always together. Cossacks.

- Did your husband manage to send some money from there?

- For a month and a half - 109 thousand rubles ($ 1 892). This is because they were in Rostov. From September to October, while the exercises were. I received this money in December.

- Why did he go to Syria?

- It seems that they have tightened all these machines and army training. He somewhere in six months after the Donbass began to miss already. About the machine to remember, they say, as there is my "swallow". I tried to dissuade him in a good way, and almost got to a divorce. But I see that all this is useless already. Laundry it and he planned this track. They themselves even ran and trained here.

Photos sent by Matveyev from Syria
Photo: Znak.com

- He was a military specialty?

- Ensign. I have his reward, St. George Cross from the Donbass.

- He was given the title there?

- Seems to be yes. You better tell me who should call me now, from where they will report? If everything is out there, fuck it, it has ripped apart, how it will be recognized, just pieces will be scraped off and they will say that it is my husband, or what?

- Have you met Stas for a long time?

- 13 years ago. I worked in the store as a seller, and he is a freight forwarder. Products brought to us.

- Why did you choose him for yourself?

- Wonderful man was. Did not let me work. He always said: "Stay at home, take care of children." Itself did all repairs, all with their own hands. The master of euro-repair was in Yekaterinburg traveled a lot. Strongly loved children: zoos, cinemas, in the "Wright" constantly dragged.

- You are not working now?

- Нет.

- What do you live on?

- I took care of his mother. She is disabled. Gave allowance 1380 rubles ($ 24) per month.

- Elena, did you say that your husband fought in the Donbas when he went there?

- In 2016 year.

- What prompted him?

- It was they who solved all this with the peasants. He came and said: “You see, what a fuss in the Donbass is coming. We must help people. ” He said that he would go to build houses for refugees. He is still a builder.

- And how did you know that he was not engaged in construction there, but he was fighting?

- Wife told me his colleague. He himself did not even report.

- How did you take it?

- Nervous. But what will I do?

- How long did you stay there?

- Seven months, I guess.

- How did you meet him after the Donbass?

- Children shouted with joy in such a way that the other boys even complained. Like, they are so no one meets. He immediately went to his parents. His mother is sick, with diabetes, and I took care of her. Well, and there the table, of course, binge, as usual.

- After Donbass, where did he go to work?

- For repairs, I was moving.

- Now when he planned to return from Syria?

“In six weeks.” He wanted to go for three months. Then for a week to go back on leave and again for three months. Then he called from there and said that this was not the case. This is another state, so just do not leave. I thought it would be back by March. There, the son has a vacation just such plans were to rest.

- What would you like now, what actions from the state would you like to see?

“I would like everyone to know about my husband.” And not only about my husband, about all the boys who died there so stupidly. Wildly it is all! Where they were sent, why? They even had no protection, as pigs were sent for slaughter! I want the government to avenge them. I want the memory of the boys to remain, so that the wives will not hurt their husbands so that the children can be proud of their fathers.

US hit video posted

US military unveiled a video showing a blow to the forces loyal to the Syrian government in Deir ez-Zor province. About it сообщает Telegram-channel Directorate 4, covering the activities of terrorists.

On the frames you can see the destruction of the T-72 tank, as well as a blow to the artillery gun and the crew located near it. The Americans explained their actions by self-defense against an attack on the US-backed "Syrian Democratic Forces", but it is not known for certain whether the destroyed objects were a threat. It is noted that among the victims of the strike could be Russian contractors.

Read also on ForumDaily:

The United States struck at the Russian-controlled territory of Syria: the versions of Moscow and Washington

How Russia treats its veterans of the Ukrainian war — The Atlantic

Russians consider the US the main threat to the security of their country.

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